Although more artfully constructed martial arts films are available, none are more entertaining and fun as Iron Monkey (Siu nin Wong Fei Hung ji: Tit Ma Lau)—easily discernible to see why this was so highly touted by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by action master Tsui Hark and directed by Yuen Wo Ping, this 1993 film has just be re-released on Blu-ray to great effect. The colors now show even more brilliantly and the audio echoes around the room while the dynamic choreographed fight scenes and great humor remain intact. Turnabout would be fair play, so hopefully Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will also soon be available on Blu-ray since it was the film that sparked Miramax into eventually releasing Iron Monkey and Hero into American theaters.

Based loosely on real life 19th century folk hero Wong Fei Hung as a young boy (Tsang Sze-man), the film serves more as a prequel for numerous other Hong Kong films that draw on Wong Fei Hung's legendary exploits—the most well known being Jet Li's portrayal in Once Upon a Time in China and Jackie Chan's portrayal in The Legend of Drunken Master. As an adult Wong Fei Hung was a compassionate revolutionary who practiced traditional medicine and mastered the Hung Ga form of martial arts in southern China. Renowned for his skillful use of the "Shadowless Kick" and fighting with a wooden staff, he was known to call out the names of his techniques while fighting—a detail used with tremendous humor in the film. Wong Fei Hung is neither the title figure in Iron Monkey nor the protagonist of the film; that position is occupied by Dr. Yang (Rongguang Yu). Equal billing goes to Wong Fei Hung's father Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen), a great martial arts master included in the Ten Tigers of Canton during the Qing Dynasty.

Set in northern China, a corrupt governor continually seeks to outsmart a mysterious Robin Hood figure who calls himself the Iron Monkey, leaving caricature signature papers with the wicked and bags of gold for the good working class people. Under cover of night and with partially cloaked face, the Iron Monkey habitually outfoxes the governor and defeats the lascivious Shaolin monks that guard him. Although sworn to uphold the crooked state, magistrate Master Fox (Shun-Yee Yuen) has a soft spot in the heart that Dr. Yang recognizes. Perceptive viewers will easily decipher the Iron Monkey's daytime identity since Dr. Yang and his kind assistant Miss Orchid (Jean Wang) mirror the same economic philosophy—providing free and cheap medicine for the needy while charging premium prices for the wealthy.

Before long Wong Kei-Ying arrives with his son, and the governor "recruits" the famous kung fu master to defeat the Iron Monkey by arresting his son and swearing he'll only get him back when he beats his notorious nemesis. This "contract" results in having the entire community shun him; no one will even sell him a bun to eat. Only good Dr. Yang and Miss Orchid show compassion, so inevitably the co-hero sides with them against the real evil antagonists in relentless high wire martial arts contests with a spectacular firery finale balancing act on the tops of wooden poles.

Short on subtlety, don't expect the same kind of nuanced acting that you see in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Moral ambiguities don't exist in Iron Monkey's universe of black and white, nor does the film draw attention to repressed love story lines. But if you're in the mood for fun and action, this film uses some of the finest martial arts displays imaginable, and it doesn't take itself seriously. Creative and graceful, Donnie Yen remains in top form while incorporating as much "old school" historical martial arts as he can into his routines, and this film showcases China's premier martial arts film choreographer Yuen Woo Ping's earlier work, demonstrating clearly why he was hired to plan the fights in Crouching Tiger and The Matrix. Now that the film can be seen in dynamic high definition, it's certainly worth 90 minutes of your time just for its entertainment value.